HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats had a big test on their home floor on Sunday afternoon, but New Mexico proved too much in the early-season battle, handing the Kats a 98-89 defeat at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
 
Amber Leggett continued her torrid start to her junior season with 29 points, and Courtney Cleveland set a career high with 26 of her own, but five Lobos (2-0) finished in double figures to help erase an early 14-point Bearkat (2-1) lead.
 
UNM, who has been practicing in the Amarillo area due to COVID restrictions in the state of New Mexico, was playing in just its second game of the year, but looked in midseason form after the opening period. The Kats led by as much as 14 in the opening period before the Lobos got going, eventually taking a narrow lead into the break.
 
The teams went back and forth in the second half before UNM was able to pull away, using a 36-for-46 day at the charity stripe to aid its cause.
 
Along with Leggett and Cleveland, the Kats got a solid day from Madelyn Batista who picked up her second double-double of the young season, going for 11 points and 10 rebounds; however, no other Kat was able to pump in more than Faith Cook's nine points and six assists.
 
In all the Kats hit 44 percent of their shots from the field, but were just 3-for-13 from long arrange and 22-for-32 at the free throw line.
 
UNM was led by Jadeyn De La Cerda's 24 points, while Shaiquel McGruder proved to be a big factor with 17 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots.
 
Cleveland erupted for 14 points in the opening period of play to help the Kats run out to an 11-point lead after the first 10 minutes. But the second quarter was another story as New Mexico hit five 3-point field goals and got going in a hurry, scoring 17 of the first 19 points of the quarter to go up as much as seven.
 
The Kats, however, weathered the storm with a 7-2 run of its own to close out the half, getting the final 5 points from Leggett to reach the halftime buzzer down 43-41.
 
Neither team was able to gain a foothold in the third quarter as the Lobos held a one-point lead, and it stayed close for the majority of the final period with the Kats still down by just three points in the final minutes after a steal from Diamond Hunter pulled the Kats to within 87-84.
 
But Mountain West Conference preseason player of the year LaTaschya Duff responded with a 3-point play on the other end that sparked 9-2 Lobo run that all but sealed the deal for the visiting team.
 
The Kats will now regroup before going on the road for the first time on December 9 when they are set to take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The game is set to be aired on SEC Network+.